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Fw: Storm over British racism at Prague Airport (PP No.341)
From KEN BIGGS, 1/08/01 02:09:19
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Greetings
from Prague to all comrades! Attached is PP's latest news release.
Comradely,
Ken Biggs
Postmark Prague
POSTMARK PRAGUE No.341
News release (830 words)
Monday 30 July 2001
STORM OVER BRITISH RACISM AT PRAGUE AIRPORT
by Ken Biggs
Editor of the English-language monthly Postmark Prague*
Czech Communist leader and MP Zuzka Rujbrova last week lashed out at the
hypocrisy of the British government�s decision to instal immigration officials
at Prague�s Ruzyne Airport to prevent Czech Romanies (�gypsies�) exercising
their �post-communist� freedom to travel by flying to Britain.
She could have also pointed out that the new frontiers of the racist Schengen
�Keep-the EU-white� agreement are far-flung indeed, but didn�t no doubt out of
deference to Euro-enthusiasts in the party�s leadership.
Speaking at a Party press conference on Thursday (July 26), she said: �It
alarms me that a country regarded as the cradle of European democracy is
forcing other states to do its dirty work.�
She also criticised the Czech Republic�s Social Democratic government for
submitting to pressure from the British government and allowing British
immigration officials, thinly disguised as �consular officials�, to vet
passengers before they are allowed to board a plane to Britain.
A British immigration officer was filmed by a hidden camera as he arrogantly
rejected a Romany would-be traveller�s application for the document allowing
him to fly to London. Unfortunately for him, the applicant was an undercover
Czech TV reporter. He and his white colleague had submitted identical documents
and were carrying the same amount of cash on them. They both said they were
planning to visit a friend in London. The white reporter was given permission
to fly.
Czech citizens do not require a visa to travel to Britain. But before they can
board a plane to Britain they must produce a document stamped by a British
immigration officer based at Prague Airport confirming in advance that the
bearer will not be denied entry to Britain. Until last Friday and the storm
over the British official�s conduct, every application by a Romany traveller
for the document had been turned down. On Friday an elderly Romany woman whose
three sons and a daughter live in Britain was given permission to fly.
After the film was shown on Czech TV, Czech foreign minister Jan Kavan a
pre-1989 anti-communist �dissident� born in London in 1946 and a member of the
Labour Party from 1982 to 1990 summoned British ambassador David Boucher to the
Czech Foreign Office. On the basis of what Boucher told him about the incident,
Kavan excused the British official�s conduct by saying that the address in
London given by the Romany journalist was �at the very least badly written,
incomplete and therefore false�. Although Boucher refused to provide
documentary evidence of this, Kavan declared himself �convinced� by his
explanation.
The truth is that the Czech government agreed to allow the British officials to
operate on their soil only because they were given an ultimatum by the Blair
government. �Accept them so that we can stop the flow of gypsy asylum-seekers,
or we will reintroduce a visa requirement for all Czech citizens wishing to
enter the UK.� Not wanting to upset white Czechs travelling to Britain next
year is an election year the Social Democrat government played its racist card.
Despite the lip-service paid by the government to combating racism,
discrimination against Romanies by the Czech state and its police and judges
continues, as do the racist killings and attacks on Romanies by neo-nazi
skinheads, who are said by the Czech secret police (BIS) to have 6,500
supporters countrywide.
Because of the refusal of the police to defend Romany communities against these
attacks, Romanies in the North Moravian city of Ostrava last week decided to
set up their own patrols. Similar patrols are also under consideration by
Romanies in the town of Svitavy, following the murder of 30-year-old local
Romany Oto Absolon on July 20.
He was stabbed to death by a neo-nazi skinhead with a long record of
convictions for racist violence. When he murdered Mr Absolon, he was awaiting
trial on yet another charge of racially-motivated violence. Despite his record,
the court ordered that he be set free pending trial rather than remanded in
custody. The local police have also refused to give protection to a key witness
of the murder, despite the obvious threat of intimidation by neo-nazi thugs.
At last week�s Communist Party press conference, Miroslav Prokes, co-ordinator
of the international anti-racist organisation United for Central and Eastern
Europe, called on all political parties to combat racism. He said Czech
Romanies were discriminated against when they tried to find work. �A number of
employers refuse to employ a Romany immediately they see him�. Racism has been
a product of capitalism since the Middle Ages.�
Migration would continue, he said, until living conditions in the countries the
migrants come from are improved. This meant that the transnational monopolies
which today are stronger than governments had to be reined in. It also meant
concerted action by the international community and a change in the
distribution of social resources.� It also means, I would have thought, a
struggle against the ideology of racism and above all trade union-led action at
the workplace. Unfortunately, a few years again when the leadership of the
Czech Confederation of Trade Unions tried to initiate such action, its annual
congress only narrowly passed the resolution and nothing much has been heard of
it since. END
* Advance orders for the 20-page
illustrated September re-launch issue of Postmark Prague can be sent to:
PP, PO Box 42, 182 21 Prague 8, Czech Republic or [EMAIL PROTECTED]
